Ipswich Town were punished for their errors at the London Stadium, falling 4-1 to a polished West Ham team.
The Blues fell behind early on to Michail Antonio’s goal, but Liam Delap scored his fourth goal of the season to pull them back. However, Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen, and Lucas Paqueta all scored late in the game, giving the hosts a comfortable win in East London.
Town’s start was far from ideal, as they fell behind after only 48 seconds when former West Ham loanee Kalvin Phillips gave the ball away to Guido Rodriguez. The hosts scored 1-0 thanks to Bowen’s low cross into the area, which Antonio converted.
However, Ipswich were able to respond swiftly, gaining a corner at the other end in the sixth minute. Leif Davis’ delivery was meant towards Dara O’Shea’s head, but Rodriguez beat him to it and flipped it backwards, where Delap caught it. The striker was able to hold off Paqueta and spin before hitting a shot into the net off Alphonse Areola’s palms to equalise.
The hosts hoped to shift the tide back in their favour. A through pass from Kudus appeared to send Bowen through on goal. Jacob Greaves attempted to shepherd it back to Muric, but the winger beat him to it, causing Ipswich to concede the corner, which they cleared.
The blistering pace of the first exchanges quickly faded. West Ham had more possession but struggled to break down Ipswich, who came closest when Phillips blasted over the crossbar from outside the area in the 26th minute.
It was a trend that lasted beyond the half-hour mark. Delap sought a penalty after being pulled down inside the box by Jean-Clair Todibo, but referee Anthony Taylor said no. Seconds later, Aaron Wan-Bissaka fouled Wes Burns, allowing Davis to take a free kick on the right flank. Greaves received his delivery and headed just wide in the 36th minute.
It roused West Ham up a little, and they broke with numbers in the 38th minute. Before the offside flag was raised, Kudus hit the post with a cross to his head.
That made Ipswich nervous. Sam Morsy took the subsequent free kick and passed it direct to the hosts. Tomas Soucek sent the skipper flying with a fast touch before attempting a close-range shot, but Greaves saved the day with a stop on the line.
Town did not look particularly comfortable on the ball in their own half, and they were undone 90 seconds before halftime when Emerson found space to deliver a cross from the left. Antonio hit the crossbar with a header before Kudus rose to knock the rebound into the net from point blank range, putting his team ahead 2-1.
Ipswich needed a quick start to the second half, but got the opposite result. After a long period of possession, Ben Johnson caught Arijanet Muric off guard with an overhit lobbed backpass. It caused the custodian to pass the ball to Bowen on the right, who cut in past Phillips and fired a silky effort into the bottom corner to make it 3-1 in the 49th minute.
A two-goal deficit was always going to be difficult for the visitors, and they were lucky not to fall further behind when Bowen’s chipped pass found Kudus in the box. Muric denied him with a stunning stop, keeping his club in the game.
Ipswich still had its moments. In the 65th minute, Burns delivered a beautiful cross that found Delap, but Areola got down brilliantly to deflect the ball wide. Seconds later, Jack Clarke twisted and turned to the left before firing a timid shot into the Frenchman’s gloves.
In the 69th minute, Antonio played Bowen down the right, making them pay for all of their hard work in that short period. He sent a low cross into the box with the outside of his boot, which the striker dummied for Paqueta to tap into the net, making it 4-1.
The game then fizzled away. The Town fans who filled the away end continued to sing their hearts out despite the outcome, which serves as a wake-up call ahead of the international break.
West Ham XI: 4-2-3-1: Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson (Cresswell 83′); Soucek, Rodriguez (Alvarez 70′); Bowen, Paqueta (Summerville 83′), Kudus; Antonio (Soler 70′)
Town XI: 4-2-3-1: Muric; Johnson, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Phillips (Taylor 74′); Burns (Ogbene 74′), Hutchinson (Chaplin 83′), J. Clarke (Szmodics 73′); Delap (Hirst 83′)
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